"Rumble!"
As the warship moved at full speed toward the coordinates where Zephyr had last reported to Headquarters, the weather around them quickly grew worse.
This was the Grand Line. One second it could be calm, and the next, the sea could turn violent without warning.
The sky had just been gray and gloomy, but now it had completely turned dark purple. Huge waves crashed again and again against the ship flying the G-17 flag.
"Aiden! The wind and waves are too strong!"
Smoker had to hold onto the railing to steady himself. He shouted loudly, his voice almost drowned out by the strong wind. "Even with the modifications, this is still just a supply ship built to carry supplies! It is not a heavy warship made to handle seas like this!"
"This is more than this ship can take! If we keep pushing through this, we will capsize before we even find Zephyr!"
On the deck, the Marines were being thrown around, unable to stand straight. A few of the weaker ones were already leaning over the side of the ship, throwing up.
"Why are you panicking?"
In comparison, Aiden looked completely steady. His feet seemed fixed to the deck. Even though the ship tilted sharply, his body remained upright.
But looking at the storm around them, Aiden also frowned.
Although this ship was modified, it was still a supply ship at its core. It could not handle storms nearly as well as the main warships at Headquarters. If they kept going like this, before they could find Zephyr, this entire ship of specially prepared supplies would end up feeding the fish.
I need to find a way to calm this weather down—
Several thoughts quickly passed through Aiden's mind.
Then, he remembered something that had been sitting in his ring for a long time.
"Since this terrible weather won't let us sail properly, we can just change it."
Aiden said it casually. Then, like a magic trick, he flipped his wrist.
A small glass vial appeared in his hand.
Strange storm patterns were etched into the glass, and a faint glow moved along its surface.
"What is this?" Smoker paused, looking at the unremarkable little vial with total confusion. "Why are you bringing out a tiny bottle? Do you realize what's happening right now? Are you planning to drink rainwater in this storm?"
He really could not understand how this strange little thing could help them at a moment when the ship could capsize at any second.
"Drink rainwater? You're thinking too small."
He thought to himself.
Last time in Ohara, after he pulled out the stopper, the storm covered the sky and blocked out the sun, spreading across the entire sea and even forcing the Marine fleet to retreat.
This time, he did not need to make a storm. He only needed to clear the storm here and create clear weather. The idea should be the same.
If I turn this area clear, the ship will steady itself, and our view will clear up completely. Finding them should be much easier.
Aiden looked at the heavy rain around him, waiting to see the result.
With Smoker staring at him strangely, Aiden took a deep breath and pulled out the vial's stopper!
"Whoosh!"
Green wind swirled out from the mouth of the vial.
The next second.
The storm raging above the warship suddenly stopped, as if someone had cut it off.
The dark clouds tore open, and sunlight broke through the darkness, shining onto the deck. The sea quickly calmed down, sparkling under the light.
"What the hell!!"
Smoker's eyes went wide, and the cigar in his mouth fell straight onto the deck. "How—what is going on?!"
Smoker stared blankly.
He looked at Aiden standing in the sunlight, completely unable to believe it. It was one thing for Aiden to be strong, but changing the weather like this was too crazy.
However.
Before Aiden could even enjoy Smoker's shocked face, he noticed something was wrong.
"Wait—"
The smile on Aiden's face slowly faded.
He looked up at the circle of blue sky above him, then looked out into the distance.
At the edge of that blue sky, about one kilometer away from the warship—
The storm was still raging! Black waves were still rolling! Lightning was still crashing down wildly!
The one-kilometer boundary was so clear that it almost looked drawn.
The warship sat inside a clear circle of calm weather. Inside the circle, everything was peaceful. Outside, the storm was still a complete disaster.
Aiden froze.
For three seconds, no one spoke.
"That's amazing, Aiden!"
Smoker picked up his cigar from the deck. Though he was shocked, looking at the wall of storm so close by, he could not help but say, "But—since you can change the weather, can you try harder and make the area a bit bigger?"
He pointed into the distance. "This one kilometer lets our supply ship sail smoothly without capsizing, but it completely blocks our view for searching. The lookout can see even less than before you used this thing."
"If you can expand it by a few dozen more miles, wouldn't it be much easier to find Zephyr?"
Hearing Smoker say that so casually, Aiden's face twitched.
He quickly looked down, staring at the small glass vial in his hand in confusion.
This is wrong—
Aiden thought to himself.
It wasn't like this last time in Ohara! It clearly covered the whole sea back then! Why did it shrink so much this time?
Is it because it's out of power? Or because it hasn't been used in too long?
Refusing to give up, Aiden turned the vial upside down, slapped the bottom hard, and shook it.
Hey! Give me some help here! Are you still asleep? Even ten more kilometers would be fine! Is this one kilometer a joke?
"What are you doing?" Smoker asked, confused by Aiden's strange movements.
"You don't understand."
Aiden felt awkward, but he still tried to act calm and said seriously, "One kilometer—one kilometer is already very hard! This is changing the weather. Do you think it's that easy?"
But Aiden still couldn't stop thinking about it.
Maybe the vial's effect was random, or maybe it was limited by some rule he didn't know about.
Was the massive effect in Ohara because he had worked with the storm and made it stronger, while this time he was trying to stop a storm, making it much harder?
"It's fine."
Smoker saw Aiden gritting his teeth and thought he was pushing himself just to keep up appearances. He sighed and gave him a way out. "If you can't do it, forget it. Don't force yourself. This is already good enough. At least we can sail normally."
"But—"
Smoker looked at his watch, his face turning serious. "It's getting late. Even though we have sunlight right now, the sun will set soon."
"Once it gets dark, finding Zephyr's warship in this huge ocean will be almost impossible."
Aiden stopped messing with the vial.
He looked at the dark storm outside the one-kilometer zone and heard Smoker's anxious words. The embarrassment from earlier faded, and his mind became calm again.
We can't find it—
Aiden murmured to himself.
It was true. Relying on this unreliable vial or using a slow supply ship to look for Zephyr's ship would take too long. By the time they found him, it would be too late.
Since normal methods won't work—
Aiden slowly raised his head. He looked past the one-kilometer safe zone, staring directly at the countless bolts of lightning flashing in the sky.
As a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, he had automatically treated this storm as interference. He had been trying to use his Observation Haki to push through the electromagnetic disturbance.
But that's wrong—
Then he realized something.
I am a Logia user. I am lightning.
Aiden looked at the lightning filling the sky. Pale electricity lit his eyes. If that's the case, why am I rejecting them like a normal person?
If I accept them and connect with them—
Then I can use the lightning itself.
"Smoker."
Aiden suddenly spoke. His voice was too calm, and it made Smoker tense.
"What?"
"Hold on tight."
"What?"
Before Smoker could react.
"Click."
Aiden pushed the stopper back into the unreliable vial without changing his expression.
"Boom!"
Without the barrier blocking it, the strong wind and heavy rain rushed over like a flood, covering the small warship once again!
"What the hell! Aiden, what are you doing?!"
Smoker was completely soaked by a wave. He had to turn his legs into smoke to stay fixed to the deck so he wouldn't get blown away. He roared angrily at Aiden.
But the next second, his voice caught in his throat.
Because he felt it.
Something was changing inside Aiden.
In the heavy rain, countless blue and white sparks burst out from Aiden's body. They dried the rain around him, leaving a space filled with crackling electricity.
His feet slowly left the deck, and he floated up into the sky.
"Zzzt—"
The electricity crackling around his body began to connect with the natural lightning in the sky.
Aiden opened his eyes.
At that moment, his eyes were filled with pale-white lightning.
He opened his arms, drawing in the violent lightning from the sky.
"Rumble!"
Countless bolts of wild lightning suddenly changed direction, rushing toward Aiden.
Ever since he got the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his life-and-death fight with Golden Lion Shiki and his duel with Issho in the Blacksteel Empire had pushed him to his limits. Each battle had forced him to understand the Rumble-Rumble Fruit more clearly.
Now, facing this massive natural storm, his control finally reached a new level.
Everything he had learned until now came together at once.
Aiden's body began to turn into electricity. His skin became sparks, spreading outward and merging with the countless bolts of lightning in the sky.
He became part of the lightning and took control of the storm.
For a brief moment, the chaotic sea seemed to fall completely still.
Aiden's senses were no longer limited to his own body. Following the countless bolts of lightning, they spread across the area.
Thirty miles... fifty miles... three hundred miles...
The chaotic magnetic noise became clear in his mind. Right now, he felt like he could see everything around him.
Every falling raindrop, every rising wave, and every movement beneath the sea became clear to him.
Smoker looked up, letting the rain hit his face as he stared blankly at the figure in the sky that had merged with the lightning.
At that moment, it looked as if Aiden had become part of the storm.
Is this—the true power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit?
"Found them."
Aiden's voice echoed from above.
The lightning in the sky began to fade, and Aiden slowly floated back down to the deck.
Though his body looked normal again, pale sparks still danced around him, and a bright light remained in his eyes.
"Smoker."
Aiden turned around and gave the exact coordinates. "Southwest, two hundred and twenty miles away. Zephyr's ship is over there."
After saying that, he walked straight to the ship's wheel. Sparks flashed on the deck with every step he took.
"Ai... Aiden—"
Smoker swallowed hard. The feeling that this man could control the storm still made him feel shaken.
He looked at Aiden's back, his voice dry. "Was that... a Devil Fruit Awakening?"
Aiden stopped.
Instead of answering, he just raised his hand and pointed at the stormy sky ahead.
"Crack!"
A loud sound split the sky.
As Smoker and the Marines watched in stunned silence, the thick black clouds suddenly split open, leaving a massive crack.
The crack stretched straight into the distance, looking like a path drawn across the sky.
Even though the storm was still raging all around them and huge waves kept rolling, right beneath this crack, the sea was perfectly calm.
Aiden lowered his hand, turned around, and smiled at Smoker.
"You guessed right."
Then, his calm voice echoed across the sea with the thunder.
"Full speed ahead."